Wagner James Au reports on virtual worlds & VR

Monday, June 30, 2008

This is quite possibly fascinating only to me, but here's a recent side-by-side comparison of Alexa-ranked traffic to this blog versus Second Life's official site. I never would have imagined New World Notes drawing more readers from Japan than the US-- or for that matter, more readers in Saudi Arabia versus, say, Belgium, Brazil, and France, which all boast a large Second Life presence. What's going on, do you suppose?

Here's a project worth keeping an eye on: mirror, glass, and high-performance material manufacturer Saint-Gobain has set up a presence in Second Life through Stonfield InWorld, a French metaverse developer. "[T]he main reason SGG is now in Second Life," Stonfield's blog explains, "is to share ideas and
invent their next generation of products with a great focus on
sustainable development. If I read this post right, they'll test market virtual versions of Sain-Gobain products designed to reduce buildings' carbon footprint. The project is supposed to begin in earnest this September. Hat tip: Keystone Bouchard via Dusan Writer.

Recently, science fiction luminary Charlie Stross appeared in Second Life's Extropia City for a wide-ranging conversation on his novels and the ideas that inspired them. Here's the illustrated chat transcript, edited down to a nicely readable form. (In SL he's "Autopope Writer".) While most celebrity appearances in Second Life are conducted with VOIP or even by phone call, SL's Extropians have steadfastly bucked the trend, preferring the immersion of in-world chat. For eloquent authors like Stross, the advantage of that method shines through in excerpts like this, where he talks about science fiction's move toward cyberpunk:

Back in the 1920s to 1970s, SF was about increases in delta-V — acceleration, speed, travel. It mimicked the modernist obsession with transportation and communication. But in the 1970s we hit an energetic wall — we couldn’t go any faster. Meanwhile, the IT revolution was under way. Moore’s law gave us a different exponential/sigmoid progress from that of aerospace... Neal Stephenson noticed. Vernor [Vinge] noticed. I noticed. And that’s why I’m writing a different type of SF — for a type of SF reader whose metric for analysing progress is different.

Great stuff you're only likely to get through the written word in-world. Read it all.

Nothing But Nets is an awesome fundraising effort built around a powerfully simple fact: an inexpensive mosquito net is the best defense against malaria, a disease that's killing children in the developing world every 30 seconds, it's been estimated. (Here's a great NYT story on the program.) Now thanks to master metaverse artist AM Radio (pictured driving, above), Second Life Residents can buy nets in-world with Linden Dollars. He's selling a very cool, full-featured jeep for L$2500-- which is roughly USD$10 on the open market, which is roughly the cost of a single mosquito net. You buy a rugged all-terrain vehicle to roar around Second Life in, while AM Radio donates all funds from the purchase via PayPal to Nothing But Nets.

I'm proud to announce I'm a client with Harper Collins SpeakersBureau, the publisher's agency for authors who're also available for speaking engagements, listed somewhere between supermodel Carol Alt and superchef Mario Batali. They talk about working the catwalk or preparing osso buco, I talk about the metaverse. Go here to check out my profile.

Why is Cisco investing so much time and energy in Second Life? CEO John Chambers recently appeared in-world to discuss that topic and more, and UGOTrade's Tish Shute (Tara5 Oh in SL) was there to take notes. Here he is, for example, talking about the future of virtual worlds, which some have argued is on the wane:

I would compare it to the first stages of the internet. If you look back to the predictions made by Cisco and others in the early 90s and mid-90s almost all of them not only came true but ended up being even lower then we expected in terms of under estimating the market opportunity. So I think when you think about interfacing to your customers, interfacing to your family, interfacing to your piers and the communities of interest we will have both in our business world and our personal life, I think we are at the very, very beginning stages of what is possible.

Read it all here. And if you happen to be available at Noon today, another Cisco alum will provide an alternate point of view: Christian Renaud, until very recently Cisco's metaverse evangelist, will be today's guest on the Metanomics show, talking about his plans since leaving, and why he believes "Second Life and its walled/closed ilk will fade into the sunset in the next 24-36 months," supplanted by web-based applications of 3D/virtual worlds. Event details here.

As far as we know, 3D Auction is a Japanese-based company offering real-time, immersive auctions in Second Life for both real and virtual items-- speakers for your iPod, say, or stylized avatars for your virtual cosplay, bought with Linden Dollars. Bidding is conducted in a grand auction hall; outside is a long display wall detailing the items for sale. Among the goods put up for bid (to judge by this screenshot at least) is a bowl of live kittens. Metaverse travelogue writer Garth Goode recently discovered the island during his random travels, and has an extended report here. (Direct SLURL teleport to 3D Auction Island at this link.)

Like me, however, Garth's stymied by the language barrier-- especially the kitties where the starting bid seems to be L$1000. "That must really be for kitten food," Garth wonders, worried. "Or… something… right?"

I've contacted some of the 3D Auction owners, but haven't received a reply as yet; so instead, I plead with my Japanese-fluent readers. What's the deal here? Is this truly the first known moment in which real life can be purchased for virtual currency?

Saturday, June 28, 2008

The cakes are baked, party dresses on, and the
celebrations for Second Life’s fifth birthday are well underway! There are
plenty of exhibits to see both at the Linden-sponsored and the Kids’ expos. After questions whether the Kids roleplaying community would be included in the official celebration, Kids SL5B was organized and is a great
opportunity to explore the things that Kids do in Second Life-- in Alton Icarus
(click here to
telelport).

The Linden and volunteer
resident organized celebration has over 600 builds and this thread on the SL
forum gives suggestions for SL5B places of
interest. SL5B is about much more than exhibits and there are some great
events planned. The LInden's SL5B event calendar is still a bit confusing, so the best way to keep current is to check the blog or visit the SL5B sims. In the coming days, there will be Kids’ concerts, monster
attacks, and engaging panel discussions. All that and more after the jump...

Friday, June 27, 2008

So you bought some virtual land and you're in a home decor frame of mind? Then you'll want to visit Second Spaces, where Elle Kirshner is running a series just for you: "Top 12 Places You Should Know About If You Have a SL Home". Recommendations include entire prefab homes and individual furnishings, from a traditional Chinese bed to galleon ships that start at L$5000 (about USD$18, cannons included.) Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, and Part 4 here. Keep checking back for the final eight! Hat tip: Iheartsl.com.